The Unexpected Hero
by dispix94
Summary: What happened in between Bellweather's arrest at the museum and Flash's traffic violation? A lot, actually. From learning more about a recently made friend to making decisions on his career choice, Nick Wilde's life is about to change…hopefully for the better.
1. Chapter 1

The Unexpected Heroes

By: dispix94

 **AN: So, I've had this story in development for a while, but between coming up with ideas, redoing the whole plot, and being busy outside of Fanfiction, I've just never had time to actually put it together until now. Now, you all are probably thinking: "Will this be a long fic?" Will I write more than one chapter? Yes, yes I will. I was originally planning on making this a one shot, but then I decided to extend it to a multi-chapter story, since I have a bunch of ideas for this story. I apologize in advance if the chapters are too short, but these are intended to be a series of one-shots. If you think they need to be longer, please let me know.**

 **This story takes place after the scene in the museum, and it will be told from Nick's perspective. So, without further ado, I will now take you into the world of Zootopia.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't work for Disney, nor am I affiliated with them in any way (unfortunately). Because of this, I don't own any of these characters or settings.**

Chapter 1: The Re-Application

Nick Wilde slowly walked through the automatic doors to the hospital. Despite Judy's insistence that she was fine, and the fact that her parents would soon be arriving, the red fox still couldn't help worrying about her. The wound that had been inflicted upon her a few hours ago was pretty deep, and the doctor had said she would need to remain in the hospital for a few days. Of course, Judy wasn't happy about this, since she was hoping to get back on the police force as soon as possible, but after a few minutes of arguing, she finally agreed. At the moment, Nick strongly considered turning around and going back in, just to see how she was doing, but then thought better of it. He had just been in there, after all, and Judy may get the wrong idea if he went through with his idea. Not to mention the fact that he would have to deal with Judy's parents, and he was not ready to cross that bridge yet. Besides, there were a few things Nick needed to take care of. First of all, he needed to get a replacement application from Precinct 1. After the incident at the press conference, Nick had angrily thrown his original application into the nearest trash can, not wanting to be reminded of the mammal that had, at the time, betrayed him. But, now that they were on good terms again, Nick had decided to keep his original decision of a change of career. It was about time he started doing something better with his life. Granted, hustling innocent mammals was fun, but it was starting to get old. Not to mention the fact that there were animals that wanted nothing better to do than skin him alive if they found him, mostly due to previous hustles that had gone wrong. _Better get out before things get worse,_ Nick had thought when he had been contemplating his decision the first time.

The second thing Nick had to take care of would be, in his opinion, much harder. Breaking the news to Finnick. Between the press conference and his and Judy's reconciliation, Nick had tried doing a few more hustles with the fennec fox, but it just didn't feel the same. And it wasn't just because he was literally in an emotional black hole at the time.

After a few more minutes of thinking, Nick decided to get the easiest thing out of the way first. His mother had always told him to get the hardest things out of the way first, but he hadn't exactly been listening to what she had told him lately, and he wasn't going to start today. So, he checked his phone for the time. 4:30. Nick knew that police stations never officially closed, but assumed that either the dispatch officer would leave for the day soon, or they would be in the middle of switching shifts. If he could get there fast enough, he just might be able to arrive before any of this could happen. The red fox quickly headed in the direction of the ZPD headquarters, hoping that he wasn't too late.

It took Nick a lot longer than he expected getting to the precinct, due to him having to take a detour to avoid construction on a section of the sidewalk, but he managed to make it in 15 minutes. When he walked through one of the revolving doors, he gave an internal sigh of relief. Someone was at the desk. All of a sudden, Nick became a little nervous. How would the dispatcher react to seeing him? Would he be denied an application due to his species? Nick immediately shrugged off his feelings and remembered his mantra. _Never let them see that they get to you._ The red fox took a deep breath and approached the desk.

As it turned out, to Nick's relief, the dispatcher happened to be another predator, a cheetah. A very large one, but a cheetah nonetheless. _At least he won't be afraid of me_ , thought Nick. Predators had always stuck up for each other, and, at least from his experiences, were less likely than prey mammals to be afraid of each other. Besides, the cheetah looked far from harmful. In fact, he looked rather comical, sitting at his desk slurping a soda and holding a chocolate donut that looked like it had been half eaten. Currently, the cheetah was too busy looking at something on his phone with rapt interest to notice Nick until he said, "Uh, pardon me Officer…" he paused to read the name on the cheetah's desk. "…Clawhauser," he continued. Clawhauser didn't seem to hear him, instead, he loudly slurped his drink and munched on his donut. Thankfully, Nick had enough experience with getting mammals' attention that he remained calm, despite the cheetah's annoyingly loud chewing. Nick cleared his throat, which caused Clawhauser to finally look up from his phone. As soon as he saw Nick, he immediately put the phone down and gave the fox a look of embarrassment.

"OMGoodness, I'm so sorry," apologized Clawhauser. "I didn't see you there. How long have you been standing there?"

Nick shrugged, giving the dispatcher his trademark smirk. "A few minutes, probably."

Clawhauser looked even more embarrassed when he heard Nick say this, and gasped dramatically (a little too dramatic, according to Nick). "I'm so sorry. I was just-uh-looking at some, uh, police things." Nick studied the portly cheetah carefully. He clearly was hiding something, but Nick decided not to call him out on it. It wasn't any of his business, anyway.

Before the fox could think about it any further, the subject of his thoughts interrupted him by asking, very calmly and innocently, as if nothing had happened, "So, what can I do for you?" Nick shook his head so he could focus on the present, only to see Clawhauser leaning over his desk and looking at Nick expectantly. Nick felt slightly uncomfortable with this, considering the fact that he wasn't used to someone looking at him like that. _It could be worse_ , he thought, trying to not show his emotions in front of the cheetah. After a few seconds of thinking of how to word his response, Nick put on his calm façade and said, "Well, as it turns out, I was thinking about a change from my current career, which is, to be honest, getting kinda boring for me." That was only half true, he still liked hustling, but Nick did want to improve his life more. Seeing the confusion on Clawhauser's face, the fox continued. "So, I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought, 'Hey, I've always wanted to work for the ZPD. How about I try here?'" Nick put on a fake hopeful face, hoping the cheetah would buy his act. The fox knew it was lame, but he didn't exactly have time to plan anything better.

As expected, Clawhauser gave Nick a wary look and said, "Well, there is a position that just opened up. Our janitor just quit the other day. Something about 'spending more time with his family…'" Nick stopped the cheetah, deciding to get right to the point.

"I don't want to be a janitor. I want to be a cop." It took a few minutes for Clawhauser to process, but once he did, his face turned to that of surprise and shock, then he immediately returned to his wary state.

"You do realize it's not that simple," the cheetah stated.

"Oh I know. I'm well aware of how long it may take for my application to go through."

"That's not- never mind," said Clawhauser. He then decided to go in a different direction. "So, what made you decide to be a cop," he asked, genuinely curious. It wasn't every day a fox walked in and wanted to join the force, after all.

"Let's just say a friend convinced me," answered Nick, giving Clawhauser his signature smirk.

Once again, it took the cheetah a while to process what Nick just said, but once he did, his eyes grew the size of what few donuts remained in the box in front of him. "OMGoodness, you're that fox that was on the news, aren't you?! The one that helped Judy solve the Nighthowler case?!"

Nick gave an exaggerated bow and replied, "The one and only."

Clawhauser immediately picked up the phone and exclaimed to no one in particular, "The chief has to hear this!" Nick inwardly panicked. He hadn't meant for this to turn into a big deal. He knew he had to face the chief eventually, but was not expecting to meet him so soon.

However, Nick wouldn't have to worry about that yet. Just as Clawhauser was about to dial Chief Bogo's extension, he paused and immediately turned towards Nick, a flustered look on his face.

"Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself. Officer Benjamin Clawhauser at your service!" The cheetah reached over the desk and offered his chubby paw to Nick, who took it and shook.

"Nick Wilde," the fox replied. "And, if you don't mind, I'd rather the chief not know that I'm here."

Clawhauser gave him a suspicious look, but agreed. After a few seconds, Nick said, "Now, about that application…"

"Oh, right." Clawhauser immediately began searching through the countless drawers and folders on his desk.

"Hmm, I know they're in here somewhere…" After about five minutes, the cheetah opened a file drawer behind him.

"Here it is," exclaimed the cheetah, a bit too loudly. A few officers nearby turned their heads and gave the receptionist questioning looks. The cheetah looked back at them, a little embarrassed, and called out an apology. The officers then walked away to do whatever business they were originally going to do.

Clawhauser then set an application form in front of Nick.

"Do you want to fill it out here or do it later?"

"I think I'll save it for later. I'll stop by tomorrow to give it to you."

"Okay, sounds good." As the fox turned to leave, the cheetah said, "Hey, wait!"

Nick stopped and turned around, a little nervous as to what Clawhauser would say. But, to his relief, the cheetah only said, "I just want to say thank you. You know, for helping us out. If it weren't for you and Judy…well… let's just say I wouldn't be here talking to you."

Nick was a little shocked and concerned to hear this, but then understood why. After the press conference, things had become more difficult for predators in Zootopia. If he and Judy hadn't exposed Bellweather for who she truly was, who knows what could have happened? Nick then felt a tingling sensation in his stomach, something he hadn't felt in a while. It felt good to be recognized and praised for doing something. He was so used to mammals frowning upon him or insulting him for his actions. It was a relief for him to hear someone react in the opposite way.

Nick gave a rare, small smile to the receptionist and said, "Thank you. That really means a lot to me." The cheetah returned his smile and replied, "You're welcome!" Nick then turned and walked towards the door, hearing Clawhauser call out behind him, "See you around!" Nick gave the cheetah a casual wave as he left, not looking back.

Once Nick was outside, he took a deep breath and let out a, "Phew!" Who knew a conversation with a stranger could bring up so many emotions? It was a wonder that Nick had managed to not break his calm façade in front of the chubby cheetah. That would not have been a good way to make a good first impression on his future coworker.

Nick took a deep breath, trying not to think about the incident. Instead, he pulled out his phone to check the time. 5:45. Nick thought about trying to find Finnick's van and tell him the news, but then decided against it. He had had enough emotion for one day. Instead, he opened his contacts and searched for the smaller fox's number. He hadn't seen his friend since a few days after the press conference, and thought it would be best if they discuss this muzzle to muzzle.

 **AN: Well, what did you think of the first chapter? Was it too rushed? Just the right pace? Was everyone in character? I'd love to hear your feedback, so please review! Until next time, Zootopia fans!**


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2: Breaking the News

 **AN: Hi everyone! I'm back with the second chapter. A reviewer was kind enough to point out that I had made a mistake in the previous chapter about Nick's application. I had forgotten that he had handed it back to Judy instead of throwing it away. Since I don't feel like going back and editing the last chapter, because that would mean I would have to delete what I've already posted and re-uploading it, which might mess up the order in which the chapters go, I'm going to make the mistake be an intentional one. In the midst of all the chaos, Nick himself had forgotten that he had given his application back to Judy, and she will later remind him of that fact. Just so you know, I've divided this story into six short chapters (all one shots), which means I will publish four more after this one. I'm not sure when I will do so, hopefully within the next few weeks. Anyways, back to the story. Finnick will make his first appearance in this chapter. I'm still not sure of whether or not to include him in future chapters, but if anyone wants me to, feel free to let me know and I will do my best to add him in. I still don't own this movie or any references to other movies/products mentioned in this story. If I did, I'd be turning this story into a movie instead of writing it. Enjoy!**

The next day, Nick was sitting in the diner where he and Finnick would often meet to discuss possible hustles. Nick was supposed to meet the smaller fox at this diner for lunch, and the red fox was a little early. To pass the time, he was looking through his Muzzlebook feed. He came across a video of a rabbit kit chasing after a very frightened and confused adult raccoon, the kit trying to pet his tail. Nick found himself laughing hysterically at it. Thankfully, the other diners either didn't notice, or didn't care. As he watched the young bunny finally catching up to the raccoon and pouncing on his tail like a big cat attacking its prey, giving it an adorable cuddle, Nick thought of Judy and how she was doing. Just as he was about to send her a text to check in with her, he heard the distinct sound of muffled rap music. Nick knew that music anywhere. He immediately put his phone in his pocket and looked towards the door expectantly. A few minutes later, the door to the diner burst open and a fennec fox entered, scanning the diner with a seemingly permanent scowl on his muzzle. Nick waved to get the fox's attention, a smile on his muzzle that masked his slight nervousness. The red fox knew the moment his friend walked in that he was going to get a verbal beating. Sure enough, the moment Finnick saw Nick waving, he marched over to where the taller fox was sitting and angrily sat across from him.

Before Nick could say anything, the smaller fox yelled, "Where the fudge have you been?! You never call or text anymore, and I never see you around town!" To Nick's embarrassment, the two foxes now had the attention of the entire diner. The rhino chef in the kitchen glared at them angrily through the serving window. Nick tried to calm down his friend, but, as he had learned before, it was very difficult to calm down Finnick once he was in one of his "moods," as Nick liked to call them. Eventually, though, the smaller fox realized he was causing a scene and calmed down, looking down at the table in front of him.

"Sorry, bud. It's just that, after the- 'incident,' you just kinda…disappeared. What's up with that?"

"Funny story, actually," said Nick, trying not to show his nervousness. "I kind of decided to change my career path."

As soon as Nick said this, the smaller fox raised his eyebrows and asked, "Whaddya mean?" Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out the application Clawhauser had given him. Finnick snatched the form from him and looked over it. After a few minutes, he looked up from the piece of paper and burst out laughing.

"Is this a joke?! Tell me you're not serious!"

Nick shook his head. "It's as true as the fact that I have red fur." Finnick stopped laughing for a moment to register what Nick had said. Then, he started laughing again, much to Nick's annoyance.

"You?! A cop?! For real?!" Nick gave him a look that said he was still serious. Finnick immediately stopped laughing.

"You're not messin' with me, are you?"

Nick shook his head, trying to not let Finnick see he was annoyed. "Nope. I'm actually considering joining the ZPD."

There was a pause as the smaller fox registered what Nick had told him. Then, he said, "So, what does this mean for, you know, us?"

"Nothing. Just that I'm going straight now."

Finnick immediately got angry again and shouted, "You son of a jackal! You're just gonna leave me behind while you show off your fancy badge in your fancy frickin' car?!" As Finnick continued to rant, Nick tried to reason with the smaller fox.

"Hey, listen! I'm not going to leave you behind." Finnick immediately calmed down upon hearing his friend say this. He looked at Nick, waiting for him to continue.

"Just because I'll be on the other side of the law doesn't mean I'll forget about you," Nick said, smiling at the smaller fox.

"Really," asked Finnick, not believing the larger fox.

"Yep. After all, why would I ignore the first real friend I made?" This made Finnick think back to all those years ago, when the two foxes had first met. It was Finnick who had convinced Nick to start hustling, and they had formed a close friendship over the next twenty years. Nick was like a younger brother to Finnick. The smaller fox slightly and briefly returned Nick's smile before reverting back to his signature scowl.

"Alright, enough with the sappiness. I haven't eaten at all today, and these napkins are starting to look pretty tasty right about now." Nick took that as a cue that things were still good between them, and he called one of the waitresses over so they could order.

 **AN: Well, what did you think? I know this was really short, but, like I said, these are a series of one shots. I decided to censor Finnick's swearing because this fic is only rated K+, and I didn't want to change the rating just because of a couple of lines. Also, I (kinda) stole the "son of a jackal" insult from another movie. Try and guess what it is (hint: it's another Disney movie). Until next time, fellow Zootopia fans!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Update

 **Hello, everyone! So, I thought I wouldn't be able to publish this chapter until next week, but, as it turns out, I'm able to publish it earlier! A couple of things before we begin. Firstly, I received a review for the last chapter wondering whether or not the conversation in the previous chapter will lead to anything. As I said in the reply, I'm not currently planning on it going any further than what I already have written, but Finnick may make another appearance in this story, so I may revisit the conversation in a flashback or something like that. I'll be more than happy to take any suggestions anyone may have regarding this. Second, thank you to anyone and everyone who's reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story so far. I really appreciate all of the support I've been getting. If I haven't sent you a personal thank you note via PM (if you have PM enabled and/or are not a guest) yet, I apologize and will get around to thanking you personally soon. Finally, to my fellow Americans who are reading this: I hope you all had a happy 4** **th** **of July! To everyone else, I hope you had a good day in general yesterday. Now, without further ado, let's get back to the story. I still don't own any characters, locations, brands, or products that are featured/mentioned below.**

After saying goodbye to Finnick, promising to stay in touch with him regularly, Nick made his way home, which was really just the bridge where Judy had found him a few days after the "incident," as he and Finnick called it. All of a sudden, his phone began to vibrate. This startled him, for he wasn't expecting anyone to call. His face immediately relaxed into that of a relieved smile, however, when he saw who was calling. He pressed the "answer," button on his phone.

"Hello, you've reached the phone of Nick Wilde. I'm sorry he's not able to come to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep." He then imitated an answering machine beep, causing the mammal on the other end to giggle.

"Hey, Slick. How's it going," came the voice of Judy on the other end.

"Nothing much, just tying up a couple of loose ends. So, how's it going with you? That leg healing okay?"

"Well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Judy answered. Immediately, Nick became worried. This was a brief feeling, however, because Judy then told him, "The doctor said I'm well enough to leave the hospital early."

It was all Nick could do not to sigh with relief. "That's great! So, when are you going home? Maybe we could catch a movie or something?"

"Actually, Nick, things are going to be pretty busy for me. I have to convince Bogo to let me back on the force, catch up on all I missed, convince him to let _you_ on the force, not to mention trying to convince my parents to go back home and stop worrying about me…"

That last sentence caught Nick off guard. He had gotten the impression that Judy's parents were just going to stop by to check on Judy, ask her what happened, and other things parents usually do when their offspring is in the hospital. He had expected them to go home after that. Nick had no idea they were still in town.

"Wait, they're still here? I thought they were just in town for one day."

"Well, you know how parents are. Always worrying."

That sentence struck a chord with Nick. His father had left him and his mother when he was still a young kit, and he hadn't spoken to his mother in over twenty years. The fox shook his head to remove these thoughts, and said, "Well, can I at least help you move back in? If you can ditch the fam, that is."

There was a pause as Judy thought about this. Nick wasn't sure if the bunny was pretending, or if she actually was contemplating her decision. Finally, she said, with a hint of sarcasm, "Fine, if you must. Guess I have to put up with you after all, huh?"

The fox smiled, glad to hear his friend was well enough to joke around. "Sorry, Fluff, you're stuck with me. Besides, you'll have to get used to me if you still want me as your partner." There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. For a second, Nick was worried that Judy was going to change her mind about Nick joining the police force. But, to his relief, she only replied, this time sincerely, "Yeah, I guess I do." There was another pause as both friends were thinking about what they had just discussed. Then, Judy said, "Oh! I have to go! The doctor just came in to check on me. I'll let you know when you can come pick me up at the hospital."

"Sounds good. See ya." And with that, Nick pressed "End call" on his phone and made his way to the downtown shopping district. He thought Judy deserved a nice homecoming gift.

 **Well, it's about time Judy showed up in this story, huh? I apologize for it taking three chapters for her to appear, but, like I said in my introduction to the story (see the first chapter to read it), I wanted to make this story mostly about Nick and his experiences. Anyways, stay tuned to find out what Nick's gift for Judy is, as well as what happens when he brings her home. Remember to read and review! Until next chapter, readers!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Welcome Home, Judy

AN: Sorry for the update delay everyone, but between birthday celebrations, a family emergency, family vacations, and trying to find a job, life has gotten pretty busy for me lately. Because of that, expect there to be even more long gaps in between updates. But, I will finish this story eventually, so don't worry, I'm not abandoning it. With that, on to the next chapter!

Getting Judy home was a lot easier than Nick had originally thought. He had expected the cheerful rabbit to be ready to go home, but he didn't expect her to be as relieved as she was. When he and Finnick pulled up to the hospital entrance in the latter's van, Judy immediately started for the van door before Nick could even get out, despite the fact that she was hindered by the crutches she now was using. But, he managed to stop her before she could get in. He didn't want her hurting herself even more than she already did.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there, Carrots," Nick immediately said, purposely blocking his friend so she couldn't run to the van. As expected, Judy immediately gave Nick a slightly annoyed look.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to get home as soon as possible," she calmly stated.

Nick had to think of something and fast. He could see that Judy was trying to get around him, slightly struggling with the crutches.

"You haven't seen your best friend in two days. Don't you think he at least deserves a 'hello?'"

Judy sighed, but a small smile crept onto her face.

"Hi. And, sorry about that. It's just that I have so much to do, and hospitals make me nervous and-" Nick stopped her and gave her one of his signature smirks.

"Hey, I get it. Hospitals are the worst. Nothing good comes out of them." Judy was about to disagree, having experienced many successful hospital visits amongst her large and ever-growing family. But, she decided not to say anything. Maybe Nick had a bad experience in the hospital that he never told her about? She shrugged this thought off and focused on figuring out how to get into Finnick's van without dropping her crutches, or worse.

"Need help," Nick's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"No thanks, I got it," Judy insisted. She was going to be stuck with these for at least a few more weeks, unless she could convince her doctor otherwise, so she might as well get used to using them. After a few minutes of adjusting her crutches so she had a free hand, while not falling over, Judy finally reached for the van's door. But, she was stopped for a moment when Nick got her attention.

"Hey," he said. The rabbit turned and looked at Nick with a slightly concerned look on his face. "I'm glad you're safe."

Judy gave him a shy smile and said, "Thanks. I'm glad you're safe, too. I was so worried about you after the ambulance came. I would hug you, but-" she then gestured to the crutches she was leaning on.

"Okay, first of all, don't worry about it," replied Nick. "And secondly, _you_ were worried about _me?_ You were the one that got hurt."

"Well, yeah, but I was still worried. It was a pretty stressful day, after all."

There was a pause as Nick thought about what Judy had just said. This was the first time in a while that someone actually showed concern for him, and he was nowhere near as affected as she was. Nick had to resist the urge to hug Judy, for he didn't want to hurt her any further. Instead, he said to her, "Carrots, you worry too much. Yes, I did get a few bruises on my paws and knees from being in that pit, and those sheep have probably scarred me for life, but other than that, I'm fine." He smiled at her for further assurance, and she smiled back.

Nick then gave Judy a gentle pat on the back as a temporary replacement for a hug. She looked at him and returned the pat. Then, Nick opened the door for Judy. He had somehow managed to convince Finnick to temporary re-install one of the back seats instead of making Judy sit on the old mattress the fennec fox used for a bed. Not even Finnick knew when the last time that mattress was washed.

Once he had helped her into the van, he got in the passenger seat. As they pulled away from the hospital, he and Judy greeted each other. The ride started off slightly awkward. Judy did most of the talking, and was trying but failing to get Finnick to say more than a few words to her. After a while, Nick chimed in. After a while, it ended up just being Nick and Judy talking, with Finnick focusing on driving. As Nick and Judy shared a laugh at a joke the red fox had made, he sighed with content. He had missed the conversations and laughs he and Judy had shared. He was glad they was able to once again spend time with each other.

As it turns out, it didn't take very long to get Judy settled. All that needed to be done was take out Judy's garbage, which was almost full, and put away a few of Judy's clothes that she had left on the floor, which was unusual for her, since she was usually so neat and tidy. As Nick was hanging up one of Judy's sweatshirts, which had the words "ZPD Academy" on it, Nick looked at it closer. _Hmm, not bad_ , he thought. _I bet I'd look good in one of these._ He then turned to Judy, who was putting away a few shirts in her chest of drawers, and said, "Hey Carrots, do you think I could borrow this?" He held the sweatshirt to his chest so she could see what he was talking about.

Judy gave him a funny look, not sure whether or not her friend was serious. "Seriously, Nick?! That sweatshirt is _way_ too small for you. Besides, you'll get your own, soon."

"But, what if they don't have this exact one, or one that's not in my size?!" Nick gave Judy one of his signature smirks, like he always did when he was trying to hustle someone.

"Nice try, but I'm still not letting you have it," said Judy, not fazed at all by his attempts to get her to give in. When she saw Nick's face fall into a look of disappointment, her mood changed to one of compassion. She gave Nick a reassured smile and said, "But if it makes you feel any better, I'll ask Bogo to tell the officers that work at the academy to make sure there's one especially for you." Nick studied the rabbit for a moment, looking for any sign that she was up to something. To his surprise and relief, she actually looked sincere. He gave her a slight smile and said, "Thanks." There was a slight pause. Then, Nick said, "Oh. I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white box.

"Nick, what is that," asked Judy, confused and suspicious of her friend.

"Just a little something to say 'welcome home,' and 'thank you.'" Judy didn't even need to ask what "thank you" meant. They had been through a lot these past few weeks, and they had become very good friends as a result of this. Nick was looking at her expectantly, so she hesitantly opened the box, still unsure of what would be awaiting her. To her surprise, there, sitting in the box was a new carrot pen.

"Nick, I- where did you get this?"

"Only $10 at Targoat. Quite a bargain if I do say so myself."

"Nick, you didn't need to do this. Bogo said he'd give me back my old pen once forensics is done with it."

"I know," he said, "But I thought maybe you might need it sooner than that." Judy smiled at Nick, at loss for words. She hadn't expected Nick to actually _give_ her something, especially something as nice as a pen that doubled as a voice recorder. She was surprised that he managed to get it for a decent price. The pen she had bought at Bunnyburrow's general store before she left for the academy had cost her at least ten times that much. Finally, Judy set the pen and it's box on her bed and gave Nick a big hug, slightly startling him, for he was not expecting the hug. But, he returned it. He always enjoyed Judy's hugs. To him, she gave one of the best ones he'd ever had, next to his mother, of course.

"Thank you," said Judy.

"No problem. We've known each other for so long now, I thought it was time I'd give you your first gift from me."

Judy gave him a mock annoyed look and said, "Great. That means I have to get _you_ a gift now."

"Oh, no," said Nick sarcastically. "Whatever are you going to do?" Judy playfully nudged him in the ribs, and he returned the favor by giving her a pat on the head, much to the rabbit's annoyance.

"Hey! What did I tell you about patting my head?!"

"Well, what did I tell _you_ about elbowing me in the ribs?!"

"Oh, come on. It wasn't even that hard." Nick tried to think of a good comeback, but, unfortunately, was unable to. Once again, the rabbit had managed to outfox the fox.

"Sly rabbit," he said with a smirk.

"Dumb fox," she quipped, also giving him a smirk.

Nick then pulled out his phone to check the time. The two had decided to go to the movie theater after they were done cleaning Judy's room. They had even convince Finnick to go with them, much to the shock of both of them. Judy decided she needed the break from all the madness of the past few weeks. She and Nick would head to the precinct the next day to retrieve her badge and talk to Bogo about the fox joining the force.

"Well, as much as I'd like to hang out in your apartment the whole day, I'd also like to catch that movie we were going to see that starts in half an hour," Nick announced as he put his phone away.

"Cheese and crackers, already?! Wow, that was fast," exclaimed Judy.

"Well, time flies when you're helping your friend clean her room," said Nick.

Judy gave her friend a mock annoyed look and headed for the door. "Come on, Slick. We're going to be late." Nick followed his friend out the door and back to Finnick's van, making sure she didn't trip and fall over her crutches.

 **AN: Well, what did you think of this chapter. Was it too rushed? Too short? Just right? Don't be shy, drop me a review or PM, follow, favorite, all four, or any combination. See you all next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Academy Day

 **AN: Hello! I have returned! Once again, I apologize for the nearly two month delay, but life got in the way. I was originally going to make this story 6 chapters, but I decided to make it only 5 instead, mostly due to timing reasons. Before I continue the story, I'd just like to, once again, thank everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story. Your support means a lot to me, and I'm glad you all are interested in this fic. As a reminder, I don't own anything or anyone in this story, all rights go to Disney. With that, enjoy Chapter 5!**

Judy and Nick stood at a street corner not that far from the bridge where Nick still lived (Nick wanted to find an actual place to live that was indoors and was dry and warm, but was now waiting until he earned enough money with his future new job to do so), waiting for Nick's Zoober to come. Today was the day that Nick would leave for the ZPD Academy. Both mammals were a combination of excited and nervous. Judy was mostly excited for Nick, while the fox, on the other hand, was mostly nervous and a little worried about what laid ahead of him. These past few weeks had been nothing but intense and sometimes painful physical and mental training by a certain female bunny, and that same mammal had warned him that things would only get more intense from there. Even though he was dreading the increase in aches and pains Nick was already experiencing, he was excited to go. This was perhaps the only chance in his life he'd get to turn his life around and focus on something other than scamming mammals out of their money.

As he was thinking these thoughts, he checked his phone for what was probably the sixth time within the past hour. Things had not started well for Nick this morning. First, it took him a little longer than he normally would to leave his bridge and meet Judy at the intersection they currently were at, due to the fact that he needed to pack some last minute things. Then, his first Zoober driver cancelled, due to "traffic," whatever that meant. He then called a second Zoober. After waiting for fifteen minutes (Zoober had told him the driver would be there in five minutes), Nick finally decided to cancel his Zoober and call a third one. Now, the red fox hoped that this ride turned out better.

Judy looked up and down the street, also waiting for the Zoober driver. One car drove past the two friends, then another one. After a few minutes, Nick broke the silence by asking, "So, did Chief Buffalo Butt ever give you your job back?"

Judy turned to her friend and replied, "He did, but it took him a while to review my re-application. I swear I was waiting outside his office for two hours yesterday at the most. And, by the way, I thought I told you not to call him that."

Nick gave Judy an innocent look and shrugged. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Judy gave him a look, then once again looked down the street for the Zoober driver.

"What kind of car did your driver say he had again?"

Nick looked at his phone, which still had the Zoober app up.

"A white Impala," he answered, lowering his phone and looking in the opposite direction, shielding his eyes from the late morning sun.

"Sorry your day had to start out like this," said Judy, turning back to Nick. "Not a good way to start your new journey, is it?"

The red fox turned to the rabbit, giving her his best relaxed face. "Don't worry about it. My training doesn't start until tomorrow, anyway."

Before Judy could say anything, a white car came speeding up to the curb, almost hitting Judy. It was all she could do not to yell at the driver or give him a ticket. She was glad she didn't, because when the driver rolled his window down, she immediately recognized the antelope driving the car to be one of her neighbors. She wasn't sure which one, though, since she never saw one without the other. _Of course he'd be driving an Impala_ , she thought, trying her best to keep from smirking at the irony. She was interrupted from her thoughts when the antelope said, a bit rudely, "Hey." Judy turned towards the antelope, still in the car, who was looking at both her and Nick, but mostly Nick.

"Are you Nick," he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"That's me," replied the fox, trying his best to remain calm.

The antelope nodded for Nick to get into the car. Judy and the antelope exchanged nods of greeting before she helped Nick with his bags. As she loaded one of them into the back, the driver turned his head towards her and said, "You know, I could've just driven you here and picked up your friend at the same time." Judy looked at her neighbor, not sure how to interpret his statement. She wasn't sure whether that comment was rude or polite.

The rabbit closed the door and walked to the drivers side, facing the driver directly, and challenged, "Would you really have gone out of your way to drive only a few blocks to drop me off?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess." Judy looked at the antelope, a bit confused. Her neighbors had never been the type to do favors for her. She always thought of them as rude and obnoxious, but that apparently wasn't the case.

The antelope sighed and said to the rabbit, "Look. I know Pronk and I can be loud and it may look like we don't care, but, the truth is, we do. What you did for the city was pretty cool. Sorry we never said anything before."

Judy, still skeptical, studied the antelope, who had now been confirmed to be Bucky, for a few seconds. When she saw no signs of him lying, she gave him a sincere smile and said, "Thanks." She then went around to the rear passenger side of the car, where Nick was standing, still outside of the vehicle.

"Well, I guess this is it, then," said Nick.

"Easy there, Slick. It's only three months. It's not like you'll be gone forever."

Nick gave Judy a sincere smile. "That's true. But, I'll still miss you."

The rabbit returned her friend's smile. "Me, too." The two hugged each other, trying not to think about how long it would be before they'd get the chance to do that again. Nick then reached for the car's rear passenger door handle, only to be stopped by Judy saying gently, "Hey." Nick turned to face his friend, who was smiling at him once again. Nick could've sworn he saw tears forming in the rabbit's eyes.

"Good luck," said the rabbit. "And don't forget to call. Or at least text."

"Okay, _mom_ ," Nick quipped as he got in the car.

Judy smiled and shook her head in pretend annoyance. "I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"K, Carrots. See you on the other side."

Judy gave him an annoyed look, not appreciating that remark.

"Sorry, poor choice of words. I meant 'see you in a few months.'"

"That's better," said the rabbit, now satisfied. "And, I'll see you then." She then closed the door to the car. At that moment, Bucky looked up from his phone, where he had been texting someone, and said, "Later, Bunny."

"How many times do I have to tell you," she said to the antelope, annoyed. "My name is Judy."

"Whatever. See you around." Bucky rolled up his window and the car sped off. Judy waved to them both, but mostly to Nick. The red fox, upon catching a final glimpse of his friend, waved back at her from inside the car. As he watched her slowly become smaller with distance, he sighed to himself, now becoming more and more anxious, in both a bad way and a good way, about these next few months. _Whatever happens_ , Nick thought, _It had better be worth it._ He took one last look at Judy's form, which was now almost a dark speck, before turning around to try and make conversation with his Zoober driver. He might as well get to know his best friend's neighbor, after all.

 **AN: Well, what did you think? I apologize if this was too short and/or cheesy, I had such a hard time coming up with content for this chapter. In case you were wondering, I am planning on writing about Nick's experience at the Academy, as well as his graduation/first day on the job, but those will be in separate stories that will be written in the (hopefully) near future. Until then, see you all in my next story!**


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